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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · snap · craft · cue · band · kid · rash · clip

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rash — a series
  3. firm — a company
  4. band — a ring
  5. firm — steady
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kid — child
  9. clip — for paper
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. clip — a video
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rash — hasty
  17. snap — to click
  18. cue — a hint
  19. craft — boats
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com